1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a real-time broadcasting service, and more particularly to a system and a method for providing a VOD preview channel used for viewing VOD (Video On Demand, hereinafter referred to as ‘VOD’) as well as a real-time broadcast channel when a user zaps channels during a real-time broadcast service.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, a Digital Cable (CATV) service or an IPTV service, that is a real-time broadcast service, provides a real-time broadcast service as well as a VOD service. To view the real-time broadcast and the VOD, a user has to click on a button of a remote control which is separately provided for selecting such a real-time broadcast or a VOD.
In the case of the real-time broadcast among such services, it is possible to easily view a desired broadcast channel through real-time broadcast channel zapping or a number input by the remote control.
However, in order to view the VOD, a user has to enter a separately configured VOD menu and select the title of the VOD, a serial number of the VOD, etc.
As such, the provision of the VOD service requires the undergoing of several steps in selecting a VOD intended to view, which is inconvenient and takes a long time. Thus, it is not easy to find and view a desired VOD one by one.
Also, since a user can feel like real-time broadcast and the VOD are separated temporally/spatially, most users, not being a VOD mania or a user desiring to watch a VOD necessarily, tend to use a real-time channel which has good accessibility, resulting in affecting the amount of actual VOD use.